Darth Veretik
Darth Veretik is a Sith Lord and member of the reformed Four Corners. He is a master of manipulation and leads a cult of die-hard fanatics. Initial Disclosures The majority of information on Darth Veretik has been provided to us by Lord Skelis as part of her agreement to help stop the Four Corners. As his former apprentice, Skelis has a wealth of available background information which we certainly have not explored as yet to its fullest. Despite her apparent sincerity, all information relating to Darth Veretik is to be considered only tentatively as accurate until we can either verify it independently, or can learn to trust Skelis more. Recorded History Early Life We don’t know much of his early life, but Lord Veretik was not a particularly noteworthy Sith during the Great Galactic War. Indeed, despite with his particular affectation – a mask fashioned from the skull of an unusual creature with pointed fangs – identifying him from past records proved difficult, even once we knew where and when to look. Lord Veretik owned a small estate in the jungles of Dromund Kaas and appears to have taken Skelis as his first apprentice a few years after the start of the war. We are told he took long absences from his estate as the war progressed, eventually leaving Skelis to mind them rather than take her to the frontlines with him. Forming the Four Corners It was during one of these absences that Lord Veretik connected with Darth Slaeya and helped to form the Four Corners – although the specifics of how and why this came to be are unknown to us at this time. It also seems that this alliance was somewhat unusual behaviour for him. In fact, Skelis depicts Lord Veretik as a loner; a Sith who supported the Empire through his strength in the Force and martial skill alone. She says that he rarely worked with others, trusting no-one, especially on the front lines. Quite how and why he changed his approach - coming to ally with the Four Corners, or working through intermediaries, such as his cultists – is therefore a mystery to us. The shift from one attitude to the other appears to have occurred swiftly after Skelis attempted to usurp his position. She tells us that the two of them fought after she organised a revolt in his estates, using his slaves to weary and weaken her former master before stepping forwards to engage him. Although she was unsuccessful, and ultimately fled from his estate, perhaps it was this event that made him see the benefits of using others. Or perhaps he was forced to draw too strongly on the dark side to defeat her and was left weakened and therefore dependent on the strength of others. We may never know. What we can say with certainty is that during the years 8-9 ATC, Lord Veretik raised a cult with the intention of reigniting the Galactic War. By ‘his own’ admission, he believed the Empire was weak, and the conflict was needed to return them to glory. We also know his plans were interrupted by the return of Darth Kagin, who then corrupted the purpose of his cult and used it for his own ends. Although Kagin’s plan was ultimately stopped, Veretik’s association with him saw the Empire brand him as a traitor. His cult - released from Kagin’s controlling influence – was largely disbanded or captured, but we believe Veretik retained a core of devoted followers, perhaps intentionally shielded from contact with Darth Kagin. These followers likely formed the core of a new cult, and became the trusted lieutenants our Jedi have encountered in the field. Whilst each of them was defeated, these victories unfortunately counted for little as the cultists appeared to have been sacrificed by Veretik in order to play his part in the deceptions surrounding the Alderaanian Protocol. These cultist followers – each wearing a facsimile of his own mask – are fanatical in their loyalty to their master; many believing so truly in their master’s cause that they will lay down their lives in pursuit of it. Jedi of the Gadani enclave have encountered such cultists on numerous occasions; and on each, the cultist has forced a confrontation leading to their deaths rather than reveal information to us. We have learned now that these cultists identify themselves as 'Deceivers' - a name which appears to match their purpose. Each Deceiver we have encountered has carried a small, unremarkable green crystal on them. We initially believed that this was some sort of token or membership, but it has recently been confirmed to us that these crystals allow the cultists some form of communication with Darth Veretik. It is unclear as yet how the crystals function – for example whether it is a one-way exchange, or whether other Deceivers are able to speak with one another – as the ones recovered do not appear to ‘work’. Certainly they do not appear to be Force reactive as – for example – Adegan lightsaber crystals are. Neither have any Jedi who handled them displayed or reported any unusual noises, or voices. Never-the-less, they will have to be handled with care during further research and examination now we know of at least part of their function. Things to Consider Jedi of the Gadani enclave are advised to be exceptionally wary in the presence of Darth Veretik, or any of his Deceivers. All have exhibited a proficiency with employing stealth powers, and of a variety of powerful dark side skills – most notably Force Lightning. Jedi should take every opportunity to subdue or capture a cultist so we might obtain more information from them; but they should not endanger themselves in order to do so. Whilst the Council needs new sources of information, we cannot afford to spend the lives of experienced Knights or Padawans in obtaining them. In any case, it is likely that questioning Lord Skelis will provide a much more willing and less directly dangerous method of obtaining information. Efforts should therefore be directed here. In the event of facing Darth Veretik himself, Jedi are advised to avoid confrontation and disengage unless they have Council approval to proceed with their assignments. The Gadani Council will issue further updates as they are obtained. Most recent information Darth Veretik has remained the most elusive of the Four Corners and has rarely been seen in the field directly - however multiple members of his Deceiver's cult have been encountered during the Imperial invasion of Belsavis. These individuals appear to continue to work his will, but have proved not unwilling to allow Jedi forces to stand down and withdraw, perhaps proving their master to be more reasonable than has been assumed. Most recently, Darth Veretik himself interacted with our Jedi during a mission on Voss. He appeared to wield great power, intimidating them to such a degree that they were unable to stop him from securing the attuned crystals required to assist in Kagin’s healing ritual.